The invention relates to a fastening component and a fastening system, particularly but not solely designed for use in anchoring agricultural sheeting, textile or film to a support, and a method of anchoring agricultural sheeting, textile or film to a support.
It is known in the art to use a ground cover material in association with agricultural crops. Traditionally, these materials have been attached or fastened to the ground by placement of weights on top of the material, such as soil along the edge of the material, soil in discrete piles, stones or rocks, lengths of wood or timber, bags filled with sand or soil and/or plastic containers filled with water. Other forms of fasteners penetrate the material and extend into the soil below, such as U-shaped wire staples, plastic pins and wire nails or pins.
Weights placed on top of the cover have the disadvantage that they are cumbersome and/or time consuming to apply. The weights are traditionally bulky objects extending above the cover and so restrict traffic over the cover. Where the cover is designed to reflect light, placement of opaque weights on the cover may reduce the effectiveness of the material.
Where a staple, pin or nail is used, there is a potential that the material will be damaged or weakened. When traffic, such as tractors, move over the material, the load of the traffic is borne around the fastener and the area where the fastener penetrates the cover can rip or tear, such that the fastener no longer holds the cover. If the cover around the fastener does not rip, then the force of the traffic is borne by the fastener fully, so that it can be directly or progressively dislodged from the soil and therefore no longer acts as an effective fastener.
The same difficulties may be experienced where the material is used in areas of high wind. The force of the wind tends to lift the cover from the ground surface. Where weights are placed on top of the cover, the force of the wind can lift the cover out from under the weights. Alternatively, where a fastener that penetrates the material is used, the cover can rip or tear where the fastener penetrates the material and the fastener may be also directly or progressively dislodged from the soil.
In broad terms the invention comprises a fastening component for use in anchoring agricultural sheeting, textile or film to a support including one or more prongs arranged to engage the sheeting, textile or film to connect the component to the sheeting, textile or film and attachment means enabling a length of resiliently extensible and/or inextensible material to be attached to the component to fix the component to the support.
In another form the invention comprises the above fastening component in combination with a length of resiliently extensible material and/or inextensible material, arranged to be releasably fastened at one end to the attachment means and releasably fastened at the other end to the support.
In broad terms in another form, the invention comprises a method of anchoring agricultural sheeting, textile or film to a support including the steps of connecting the above fastening component to the sheeting, textile or film by piercing the prong(s) of the component through the sheeting, textile or film, and connecting a length of resiliently extensible and/or inextensible material between the fastening component and the support.
In another form, in broad terms, the invention comprises a method of anchoring agricultural sheeting, textile or film to a support including the steps of connecting the above fastening component to the sheeting, textile or film by engaging the prong(s) of the component in one or more apertures in or associated with the sheeting, textile or film, and connecting a length of resiliently extensible and/or inextensible material between the fastening component and the support.
In yet another form in broad terms the invention comprises agricultural sheeting, textile or film anchored to a support or supports by the above method.
In another form broad terms in one aspect the invention comprises a fastening system for anchoring agricultural sheeting to a support, including:
a fastening claw including one or more prongs adapted to pierce the sheeting, textile or film to connect the fastening claw to the sheeting, textile or film, and an attachment eye at an opposite end of the fastening claw, and
a clip formed by a single length of material including two end portions which overlap so that the clip is a closed loop and which end portions are resiliently biased towards each other, the terminal and of at least one end portion extending away from the other end portion to form an entry aperture which enables the attachment eye of the fastening claw or a length of resiliently extensible and/or inextensible material connectable to the fastening claw to be pulled through the entry aperture to connect to or disconnect from the clip, or which enables the clip to itself be connected to or disconnected from another link.
Preferably the clip is formed from a length of stiff metal wire. Preferably the fastening claw is also formed from a single length of stiff metal wire, each end of which forms a prong of the fastening claw. Preferably said length of wire forming the fastening claw is bent intermediate of its length to form two arms each of which extends to form one side of an attachment eye and then one of the prongs and to form an entry to the attachment eye defined between two intermediate portions of the two arms.
Preferably the terminal end of the clip extends into the area bound by a circumference of the closed loop of the clip. Preferably the terminal end also extends away from a plane of the clip.
In another form in broad terms the invention comprises a method of anchoring agricultural sheeting to a support including the steps of, in any order, connecting a length of resiliently extensible material to each of the fastening claw and the clip of the fastening system, attaching the fastening claw to the sheeting by piercing the prong(s) of the fastening claw through the sheeting, attaching the clip to a fixed support, and stretching the length of material to anchor the sheeting under tension.